JEDDAH, 6 September 2004 — I have just returned from my summer vacation and every year I’m shocked and disappointed by the behavior of my fellow Saudis whether they are in an Arab or Western country. Some of them are rude to the locals, disrespectful of the host country’s laws and customs and completely uninterested in knowing anything about its history and culture. But perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. It seems that they see no need to change their obnoxious attitude toward foreigners when they visit the foreigners’ country.
They usually walk in herds. Not because they are a tourist group being shown the historical sites or museums — God forbid that they should do that. No, they are simply roaming the streets and shopping centers carrying uncountable numbers of shopping bags. They can be immediately recognized by their distinct black cloak, talking loudly to each other or on a cell phone.
Is the black abaya and face cover the only acceptable Islamic attire? Do we always have to wear it when we are abroad? Ironically, even though this particular form of dress is meant to divert attention from women, it does exactly the opposite when it is worn outside its normal environment. Furthermore, I have seen many of those women wearing the niqab with full eye make-up on and those with only the head-cover wearing full face make-up in broad daylight, strutting in high heels and drenched in perfume.
As for the men, they spend their time also in groups, separately from their women but gawking at other women, in cafes or restaurants and in the evening at nightclubs every night. For some, summer vacation is an opportunity to do the things they should not or cannot do in public back home. I’m not judging them, I don’t have the right to do that and we all make mistakes, but shouldn’t they be more discreet? Not to mention the way some of our young men and women behave — it is embarrassing. All in all, for the most part they give a bad impression of Saudis.
The children in the meantime are the ones who seem to miss out on gaining anything from these trips in terms of having the opportunity to learn and experience something new. While they do enjoy the days spent in the amusement parks, few of them are taken to a museum, art gallery or science center or signed up for a language course, a sports center or an art and crafts workshop or allowed to go camping. Some parents don’t even bother to take their children to see the pyramids, for example, or to Versailles whether it’s their first trip to Cairo and Paris or not.
Vacations for many, it seems, are about shopping, getting together with the same people from back home and staying out late. Basically the same things they do here but with a change in scenery and weather. Why not attend an opera, a symphony orchestra or the theater (not Arabic) just once to experience something different? Perhaps the language is a barrier but it doesn’t seem to prevent them from going to the cinema. The funny thing is when it’s a city they go to every year, they meet at the same places and eat at the same restaurants, preferably Middle Eastern with song and dance shows. Few venture out to the countryside, take a cruise or a train trip to another city. Another minority, mostly the affluent, may spend some time at a resort.
Upon returning from vacation, they compare notes about who they saw and what they bought because that is the main point — to see and be seen and to brag about their purchases. It’s not about relaxing, enjoying quality time with the family, or experiencing something new.
Perhaps one of the goals of the Supreme Commission for Tourism should be to educate people about how to be civilized tourists and make the most of their vacations without losing either their dignity or the shirt on their back.
